Wonderful Big Brother
by ZQ
Summary: She was abandoned, alone, and forgotten, but no matter what, her big brother will always care for her.


**This fic came about from a kink meme, requesting something fluffy about Switzerland finding and taking in Liechtenstein. I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia. It is the property of Hidekaz Himaruya **

**Wonderful Big Brother  
**

For all her life, Liechtenstein has been surrounded by adults.

The only home she has known is a big house that everyone calls the German Confederacy. There are many, many nations that live there, and even more that stop in for long visits. Liechtenstein isn't familiar with most of them. They are all grown-ups, and she is frightened by how tall and stern they seem. She wishes that there is at least one other child in the group, so that she would not feel so alone in such a big place.

The only nation her age that she ever sees is Italy, and Liechtenstein never talks to her. After all, Italy's the maid and a proper lady never becomes friends with the servants. That's what Mr. Austria told Liechtenstein, and he must know best. He is, after all, the one in charge of the house. He also says that the nations who live in the German Confederacy are taking part in something great, but Liechtenstein isn't sure she believes that. The nations living in the house seem to accomplish very little, save for arguing with one another.

Still, Liechtenstein is sure that Austria knows what he is doing. He is the one who looks after her, keeping her safe from the stronger, dangerous nations that live outside of the German Confederacy. He never lets Liechtenstein go past the gates that border their yard, but he promises her that when she grows to be a great nation, she will be more than welcome to go out on her own. Liechtenstein doesn't know when that day will be. To pass the time, she goes to Austria's library and reads as many books as she can get a hold of. She reads of battles and culture and mythology. She reads about epics that fill entire books, detailing great heroes and greater adventures. She reads about revolutions and colonies that grew to be powerful. She wishes for a rich history of her own. Perhaps when she grows up - the day that Austria tells her about - she will have it.

Besides Austria, Liechtenstein is looked after by a woman named Hungary. Many nations in the house gossip about how before Austria married her she was a lowly maid, and how before even that, she was a savage nomad. Liechtenstein does not know if this is true or not, but suspects it is not. For one thing, none of those nations dare to tell Hungary any of this to her face. For another, Liechtenstein can't believe that Hungary could ever be savage. Hungary, who brushes Liechtenstien's hair every morning? Who tells the stories of her people every night? Who holds Liechtenstein when the nights are stormy, calming her and whispering that it will be fine, everything is all right, just wait until morning and see? No, it does not make the slightest bit of sense to Liechtenstein.

Austria and Hungary do not tell Liechtenstein about the affairs of the other nations. She hears the arguments behind closed doors, though. It seems that a nation named Prussia has been bothering Austria, wanting to live in his house and be in charge of everyone. Austria swears that this will never happen. Liechtenstein hopes it does not. She has only seen Prussia a handful of times, and his noisy behavior scares her. She hates the idea of him owning the house she lives in.

As the years pass, Liechtenstein notices the house becoming more and more empty. Austria won't talk about it, but Hungary says that Prussia has built a house of his own. He calls it the Northern German Confederation, and a lot of nations have decided to live there now. Hungary hugs Liechtenstein and promises her that it will be fine. The three of them will always be together at least, and that's all that they need.

Liechtenstein wakes up one night to the sound of screaming. A moment later, Hungary bursts into her room and shouts that they need to leave. As Liechtenstein runs with her for the door, she smells smoke and notices the sweltering temperatures. The house is on fire!

Outside, Austria tries to sort out who has escaped. The servants work desperately to put out the flames. Hungary holds Liechtenstein and whispers that everything will be all right, though Liechtenstein can not see how.

It is later discovered that Bosnia started the fire, while trying to help some of Austria's servants to escape. He is nowhere to be found, but Austria swears that the nation will be found and forced to answer for what he has done.

Austria, Hungary, and Liechtenstein move back into the house when it is safe to do so. The parts that are too damaged to live in are roped off, sparing Liechtenstein the sight of collapsed ceilings and scorched walls and furniture. Hungary puts the little girl to bed and sings for her until she sleeps. Austria watches from the doorway and says nothing.

When Liechtenstein awakens, she finds the household in an uproar. Austria is hurt, and the servants who remain are bringing him bandages and medicine. From the gossip she overhears, Austria found Bosnia and fought with him. Austria has never been a good fighter though, and Bosnia knocked him out. From what Liechtenstein hears, Austria and Hungary are both furious at Germany, as he promised to help with the fight but never showed up. Now, they are all going to try to fight Bosnia again, while a lot of other nations fight with each other. It all becomes jumbled in Liechtenstein's head. She eats her breakfast and does not try to make sense of it. All that matters to her is that Austria will recover. When she is allowed to see him, she hugs him and tells him she hopes that he will get well soon. He is surprised and sits stiffly as she clings to him, but ruffles her hair affectionately when she lets go.

Once again, there are meetings and arguments behind closed doors in Austria's house. The nations have changed, but the shouting does not. Liechtenstein shields herself from it all by pulling the covers over her head at night. She tries her best to ignore it. It is none of her business, and she refuses to concern herself with anything the adults are fighting about.

The house is very quiet when Liechtenstein wakes up. Her room is cold, and she wonders why no one has lit a fire. As she goes to breakfast, she notices for the first time how worn the furniture and walls are. The house is breaking down. She has no idea when that began. She can not even remember the last time it was referred to by its proper name.

In the dining room, she is surprised to see Hungary and Austria waiting for her at the table. Hungary rarely ate with her, and Austria almost never did.

Liechtenstein takes some food, noticing that there is much less than usual. Did the servants not have a chance to go shopping?

As she eats, Hungary and Austria watch her in silence. Austria fumbles with his napkin. Hungary looks as if she is about to cry. Liechtenstein says nothing. It is scaring her, and she is glad when Austria finally clears his throat.

He asks her if she slept well, and she tells him that she did. He asks her if she is enjoying her breakfast, and she replies that it tastes very nice, thank you. He says that he is glad, before falling back into silence.

Hungary reaches over and takes Austria's hand. She whispers something into his ear, and he frowns and shakes his head. Hungary pulls back and tells him that they must say something. It is now or never.

Austria turns back to Liechtenstein, who is completely confused. He asks her if she has any idea what has been going on as of late. She tells him that she is not certain, just that a lot of nations are not happy with each other. Austria tells her that almost all of their neighbors are fighting now. He and Hungary have been fighting as well, because when someone hurts them, like Bosnia did, there is no choice but to strike back.

Liechtenstein has no idea why he is telling her all of this. She asks him if he expects her to start fighting as well. She has no idea how to fight, and the idea of going against the older, stronger nations frightens her. She breathes a sigh of relief when Austria assures her that he would never ask that of her. Liechtenstein asks him why he is bringing all of this up now. Has the fighting ended? No, Austria tells her, the fighting is still going on. In fact, it is draining all of his and Hungary's money, to the point where they have hardly anything left. Suddenly, Liechtenstein understands why there is so little food on the table. She mulls over this, while Hungary squeezes Austria's hand.

Austria tells Liechtenstein that she can not live with them anymore.

Liechtenstein's fork slips from her fingers. She stares at Austria. She must have misheard! How could she stop living with them? She has lived in this house for as long as she can remember! Did she do something wrong?

When Austria does not elaborate, Liechtenstein turns to Hungary. Hungary has calmed herself, and her voice is now even and as reassuring as possible. She tells the young girl that neither of them want this to happen, but that it is the only way for them all to continue on. She says that she and Austria have picked out a lovely little house for Liechtenstein to live in, just until the fighting is over and she and Austria have enough money to support the three of them.

Liechtenstein tries to process this. She asks who will be looking after her while she is in this new house. Hungary says that Liechtenstein will be living by herself. The older woman tries to give a comforting smile, telling Liechtenstein that she's starting to be a grown-up nation to be living on her own like that. Liechtenstein stares at the napkin folded on her lap. She doesn't feel like an adult nation at all. The thought of living by herself, with all of the nations around her fighting, is terrifying. For all she's wished to be a grown-up nation and have her own history and people, she finds herself wishing to stay a child for just a little longer.

Liechtenstein is able to pack some clothes, but little else. Austria promises that the house will have everything she needs. She doubts that, because Austria and Hungary will not be there with her and she needs them.

They walk her to the house. Hungary holds her hand, squeezing it gently. Austria leads the way, stopping them in front of a little house. Taking a key from his pocket, he announce that they have arrived.

It is much smaller than Austria and Hungary's home, but Liechtenstein reasons that it is enough for just herself. As Austria promised, it is well-furnished and set up for her to live in. It has everything she could possibly need.

She still cries. She clings to Hungary and begs her to take her home. Hungary strokes her hair and makes all sorts of promises, but Liechtenstein believes none of them. She's scared and can not believe that anything will ever get better.

When her tears run out and she has calmed down, Austria kneels in front of her and gives her the house key. He tells her that with her own house, she is a true nation. She is grown up now, and ready to take care of the responsibilities that come with such a job.

Liechtenstein does not feel like she has grown up, but there is nothing she can do. Hungary and Austria have left, and she is all alone in her little house.

For many, many years after, Liechtenstein keeps to herself. The neighborhood is scary. The neighbors scream and fight with each other, and she is desperate to keep out of it. The neighbors seem to respect her wishes, and her house is spared of having windows smashed and walls set on fire.

Some of the neighbors take advantage of Liechtenstein's neutrality. They leave valuables on her doorstep - jewelry, documents, and money - with notes pleading for her to hide them until the fighting is over. Liechtenstein doesn't understand any of it, but she hides the things in her house. She sees no harm in it.

It gets more and more difficult for Liechtenstein to buy food. Austria has left her a lot of money, but the prices of everything have gone up. There are fewer things to buy in the marketplace. Liechtenstein often is unable to get enough to eat, and goes to bed with her stomach growling. She is forced to sell almost all of the clothes she brought with her, just to get by. Still, she gets by as best she can. She begins to feel a little less lonely, and is determined to be as great a nation as circumstances permit.

One day, Liechtenstein returns home to find that one of her windows has been smashed. She runs into the house to see the extent of the damage. Who would do this? None of the neighbors have been interested in attacking her!

She hears voices in the living room and goes to investigate. The valuable things that the neighbors gave her are all over the floor! Two men stand in the middle of it, throwing everything into sacks.

She shouts at them to stop, to put everything back, to leave her house immediately! The men look at her, and she recognizes them from Austria's books. They are Czechoslovakia and Poland. She has never met them before in her life. Why would they break into her house like that? They have no right!

Liechtenstein runs at them, but Poland pushes her aside. Czechoslovakia tells her that they are only taking what is theirs. The things the neighbors gave her were stolen from them to begin with, he insists. Liechtenstein knows that this is not true. She knows that some of the things in that pile were left for her by Austria and Hungary. When she tries to tell them this though, they ignore her. They tell her that if she does not want to get hurt, she should stay in her bedroom.

Liechtenstein wants to fight them off. She wants to take back the beautiful things they are stealing and chase them out of her house. She wants to be able to scare them into never coming back, like the war heroes that fought along side great nations like France or Prussia. But she has no weapons, and she has no idea how to fight. All she can do is hide in her bedroom, like they tell her. She locks the bedroom door and pulls the covers over her head. It blocks out the sound of the two intruders in her house, stealing her possessions and leaving her with nothing.

When she leaves her bedroom, she finds her house in shambles. Nearly everything has been taken, including the furniture and paintings. She wants to curl into a ball and cry, but knows that she can not afford to do that. She needs to get more money, and she needs to start looking for it immediately.

One day passes and then another, but Liechtenstein finds nothing. It begins to rain, but she does not go back to her house. It scares her, all empty, and she never wants to see it again. She wants to go back to Austria and Hungary, but she can not do that.

She leans against the wall to steady herself. She tries to see a good side to any of this. Things can not get any worse, can they?

She realizes that she has collapsed to the ground. She closes her eyes, feeling the cold wall against her back. The rain soaks her dress. Her stomach growls. She is sure that this is the end.

And then someone calls out to her, asking if she is alright.

Liechtenstein makes a noise in the back of her throat, too tired to make any words. She opens her eyes and can just make out a figure walking towards her. She feels his arms supporting her behind her shoulders and under her knees. He picks her up and cradles her in his arms. As he begins to carry her away, she leans her head against his shoulder. A moment later, she has fallen asleep.

When she wakes up, she is in a strange house. It is larger than her own (though not as large as the one Austria owned), but it is in just as much a state of disrepair. The bed she is on is hard and the covers are thin, but someone tucked her in and made sure that she was warm and dry.

Throwing off the covers, she goes to find the owner of the house. As she searches the rooms, she sees very little furniture. There is a thin layer of dust on everything, but there are surprisingly no cobwebs.

When Liechtenstein reaches the kitchen, she finally finds him. He is setting out a plate and some food on the table, so intent on his task that he does not notice her standing in the doorway. She waits anxiously, not wanting to interrupt him in whatever it is he is doing. Finally, she gently clears her throat.

He spins around at this. His eyes widen when he sees Liechtenstein, but his voice is calm as he asks her if she is feeling well enough to be out of bed. When she assures him that she is, he tells her that he is glad. He tells her that she can sit at the table, if she would like to. He has just about finished with her dinner.

His name is Switzerland, and he tells her that he found her lying on the streets last night. She has slept all day, he tells her, and he glad that she has woken up. She doesn't know much about him from Austria's books. When she asks him about this, he says that he does not get involved with the fights of other nations. Liechtenstein likes this. Switzerland has taken her in and taken care of her. It is nice to know she does not have to worry about him leaving her to go fight someone, like Austria and Hungary did.

There is something familiar about Switzerland. Liechtenstein wonders about this as she eats. She wonders if they knew each other a long time ago. She asks him if he ever stayed with Austria. He turns red and sputters loudly, asking why in the world she would ask something like that. Shrinking back, Liechtenstein tells him about her suspicions. She points out that they look very similar, with the same hair and eye color. Their accents are even the same.

Switzerland calms down. He tells her that they look alike because he is her big brother. She ponders this. She has never had a real family before. Austria and Hungary took care of her, but they never claimed to be her parents.

As she thinks, Switzerland reaches out and strokes her hair. He apologizes for being so loud before. He tells her that if it scares her, he will not do it again. Liechtenstein smiles and thanks him.

She returns to her dinner. It is a simple soup with bread, but it is better than what she has been eating. He asks her if she likes it. She says she does, but asks him why he does not eat any himself. All he does is flush and assure her that he has eaten already.

When Liechtenstein has finished eating, Switzerland clears away the dishes and begins to wash them. He has to use a bucket of water and, when she asks, tells her that the sink is broken and he has yet to find the time to repair it.

She joins him at the bucket and begins to dry the dishes, ignoring him when he insists that she does not have to help, and can go to bed if she is tired. Her brother went to all the trouble to make her dinner. The least she can do is dry the dishes for him.

That night, Switzerland insists that Liechtenstein sleep in the bed he put her in when he took her in. She wonders if this is alright - she does not remember seeing another bedroom when she explored the house earlier - but he says that it is fine. He tells her that he has been having back problems, and that sleeping on the floor makes him feel better. He also insists that he gets far too warm at night, so she can have all of the blankets. Liechtenstein tries to protest this (it is winter, and the house is freezing!), but her brother will have none of it.

Liechtenstein wakes up in the middle of the night, startled by the wind howling. For a moment, she can not remember where she is. Then, she remembers that her big brother is sleeping in the doorway, and she feels safe.

She looks over at Switzerland and sees that he is curled up and shivering slightly. She pulls off one of the blankets and tiptoes over to him. Up close, she can see that he is frowning in his sleep. She gently spreads the blanket over him. As he warms a little, he doesn't exactly smile, but he looks far less severe.

Liechtenstein mentally thanks him for all that he has done for her so far. Even if he asks her to leave tomorrow, at least she will be able to survive a little longer.

She leans down and kisses his cheek before getting back into bed.

When they have breakfast in the morning, Switzerland tells her that she didn't need to give up any of her blankets. She smiles and tells him that she did not want him to get too cold.

Liechtenstein stays with her brother for the next day and the next and the next. A routine begins: Switzerland wakes up very early, to get whatever work he can find. He is always gone before Liechtenstein gets up herself, and he always leaves food on the table for her. After she eats, she tidies the kitchen and then moves on to the other rooms. She has begun to realize that her brother likes to keep the house as orderly as he can, but is unable to do so after working for so long. If he is taking care of her, she can clean for him.

When Switzerland first sees how much cleaner the house is, he looks very pleased. He does not say much beyond a quick thanks, but Liechtenstein is thrilled. Her brother does not say much, so he must be very happy to thank her for her work. Encouraged by this, she throws herself harder than ever into the housework. She is so intent on scrubbing the windows and the walls and anything else she can find that she does not notice how tired she is getting. She wonders why Switzerland looks so worried about her. He even asks if she is feeling alright. How odd.

Liechtenstein is helping to wash the dishes when she begins to feel incredibly dizzy. She sees black spots in front of her eyes. She feels the plate she is holding slip from her fingers, but it seems like a far-off dream. She thinks she hears her brother calling her name. A minute later, she feels something cold and wet rubbing on her face and neck.

Switzerland hovers over her, holding her up in a sitting position with one hand, the other holding a wet rag that he is wiping her forehead with. He repeats her name until she is able to respond. When he is sure she can understand him, he tells her to stay sitting.

Liechtenstein's hand twitches and bumps into a shard of something on the floor. The plate that she dropped lies in pieces around her. Exhausted and overwhelmed, she begins to apologize profusely for breaking one of her brother's dishes. He hushes her, hugs her, and uses the rag to whip the tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes, all while assuring her that it is not her fault and it is not a problem. A plate is a plate, he tells her, and she should instead think about taking better care of herself.

He carries her to her bed, telling her not to worry about the dishes. He tells her not to work so hard. After all, she is still recovering and if she isn't careful, she'll work herself into another fever through exhaustion.

Liechtenstein does not like to stay in bed while her brother works so hard, but it clearly means so much to him. On his orders, she stays in bed all throughout the next day, while he brings her her meals and checks to see if her fever has gone down. When he declares her healthy enough to get out of bed, she throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly. He is surprised, but he soon hugs her back.

After that, Liechtenstein is careful not to overwork herself. She helps with the laundry and the housework and sometimes even accompanies Switzerland when he goes to get more food. On those occasions, he always warns her to stay close to him and not talk to anyone they might see. Liechtenstein does not need to be told twice. She always stays close to her big brother and the loaded pistol he keeps at his side.

Switzerland has been working late, so one day Liechtenstein decides to go shop for their groceries. It will be a surprise for her brother and he will have fewer things to worry about. Anyway, things have been quiet in the neighborhood as of late. It will be fine. She takes some of the money set aside for food, leaves a note on the table, and sets off.

She finds the market easily enough. Switzerland does not live far from her little house, after all. The prices are still very high, but she is able to purchase enough food for a few days. She wonders if her brother is able to talk the shopkeepers into lowering their prices for him. She makes herself a mental note to ask him this when he comes home.

As Liechtenstein walks back to her brother's house, she begins to feel strangely cold. She wonders if she is coming down with a cold, but then she sees the windows on the nearby houses frost over. She clutches the basket of food she bought and walks more quickly.

Suddenly, she finds her path blocked by a tall man. His hair is snow white, and he is wearing a long coat and a scarf. He is grinning, but Liechtenstein does not find this reassuring. He begins to walk towards her, asking her how she is doing. She tells him that she is doing fine, all while looking to see if there is any way to dodge around him. He asks her if she has been alone or hungry lately. Liechtenstein begins to back away, answering that she is managing well, thank you very much. The man's smile grows wider, and he says that he does not believe that. He tells her that if she comes to live with him, he can give her beautiful clothes and plenty of food. He says that he has a very big house, which a lot of people are living in. He hopes that one day, everyone can live in it. Because of this hope, will she become one with him, da? He reaches for her.

Liechtenstein runs, ducking into a nearby alley. The stranger does not follow her, but stays near the alleyway's entrance. Even pressed against the back wall of the alley, Liechtenstein can still see his shadow and hear his laugh, kolkolkolkolkol...

She has no idea how long she stays huddled in the alley, before the strange man finally leaves. She runs back to Switzerland's house as fast as she possibly can. She does not see the man again, but she is still cautious.

Switzerland is still not home when she returns. She places the basket of food on the table before going to her room. She sits on the bed, pulling the sheet over her head like a cloak. She pulls her knees as close to her body as she can, shivering violently. She tries not to think of the stranger with the scarf, nor of his chilling laugh and suggestion to leave with him. In spite of herself, she wonders if he would have taken her whether she wanted to go or not. In all her years as a nation, no one had ever tried such a thing! Surely no one in the neighborhood would do something like that to her, would they?

She begins to cry.

Not long after, she hears the front door open. She knows who it must be, but her mind can not let go of the thought that it is the strange man, trying to break into her brother's house to get her. Even when she hears her brother calling for her, she can not calm down. When he comes into her bedroom to find her, she screams.

Switzerland takes one look at her terrified, tear-stained face before he runs into the room and hugs her tightly. He fires question after question - what happened? Who did it? Is she hurt? Does she need medicine? Was she robbed? Did one of the neighbors try to break into the house? What can he do?

Liechtenstein wants to tell him that he's doing everything she needs right now, but she can not stop crying so she clings to him, instead. He is cold from being outside and smells like gunpowder, which is oddly comforting.

He keeps his arms around her and rubs her back gently until she is able to talk to him. She can not bring herself to tell him about the scary strange man. Instead, she tells him that a stray dog chased her. She does not know if he believes this or not, but he does not press for details. He just holds her until she is calm.

Liechtenstein has been living with her brother for some time now. She feels safe and happy and can not imagine being anywhere else.

She is gathering clothes for washing when she hears Switzerland arguing with someone at the door. Confused, she leaves the laundry basket and wanders into the living room. Who could be visiting that her brother would bother to talk to? Didn't he chase off every nation that came by?

She can tell that Switzerland is angrier than he's ever been since she's come to his house. He is keeping his voice low, probably so she won't hear, but his words are coming quickly and furiously, just like the bullets from his gun. He is snarling about betrayal and responsibility and (if she is not mistaken) seriously questioning the visitor's intelligence.

And then she hears the visitor respond, and she gasps. It has been years, but she knows him. She will always know him.

It is Austria.

Liechtenstein's former guardian is there, as composed as ever. He does not flinch as Switzerland shoves a finger accusingly into his chest. He does not step backwards when her brother snarls into his face.

Austria wants Liechtenstein to live with him again. Standing quietly in the background, Liechtenstein can hear a slight quiver in his voice as he says this. He tells Switzerland that he has spent the past year searching for her, and he is able to take her back again.

Switzerland is not happy. He demands to know where Austria gets off on strolling over and thinking he can just walk away with Switzerland's little sister. He asks if Austria has any idea where Liechtenstein was when Switzerland took her in. As Austria's eyes widen, Switzerland recounts how he saw Liechtenstein lying in that alley, how she was cold and wet and starving. Her brother wants to know what in the world Austria was thinking, leaving a child alone to face such things. What was Austria thinking now, to assume that Switzerland would give her back to someone clearly unfit to raise her.

Austria thanks Switzerland for all he's done for the girl, but insists that she will return with him. He points out how Switzerland's financial situation is not particularly good, making it nearly impossible to take care of himself and a child. Switzerland informs Austria that there are ways that he is making money. Yes, Austria agrees, but he points out that they are unsavory methods. Austria questions if a person who engages in such deals is fit to raise a sweet girl like Liechtenstein.

Switzerland's hand shoots for the pistol always hanging at his hip, and Liechtenstein screams. As both men turn, she runs to the door. She cries for her brother to please don't shoot, to leave the gun alone, because it's alright. As she shouts all of this, she throws her arms around his waist and buries her face into his chest. She hears him stammer that if it means so much to her, he won't, all while he wraps his own arms around her and hugs her back.

Austria stares at Liechtenstein and whispers her name. Still clinging to her brother, she nods and politely greets him, but nothing more. She feels guilty for this. After all, he raised her! He gave her a beautiful home and clothes and food and took care of her. And as hurt as she is that he sent her away, she knows that he had no other choice. But looking at him, he is a stranger to her. She wishes him no harm, but feels no love for him.

There is a moment of silence, before Austria finally nods back. He says that he understands, and thanks Switzerland for his time. To Liechtenstein, he says that it is good to see her again, and he wishes her a happy future. Switzerland tells Austria to go away before he makes the doorstep filthy. When Austria leaves, Liechtenstein feels no regret.

Things get better for Liechtenstein and her brother as time goes on. His job seems to be much more stable, and they have more money coming in. Switzerland argues with the shopkeepers (he tells his sister that this is called "haggling" and is perfectly acceptable with most of the neighbors, at least so long as they are on the bargain end) and returns home with much nicer furniture. With Liechtenstein's help, he repaints the walls and cleans everything he can get his hands on. He tries to remodel his house himself, but that doesn't work out, so he demands that his boss pay for someone to do the job. Liechtenstein wonders if this is alright, but Switzerland insists that after the dirty work he's been forced to do to survive, his boss owes him.

Switzerland doesn't tell Liechtenstein what this "dirty work" is, but she has an idea. There are times when she has been quietly dusting or cooking and hears him talking to someone through the door. The first time this happened, she was very surprised. She was sure that none of the neighbors dared to visit her brother, not when he vehemently refused to associate with them, to the point of shooting at trespassers through the window. When the mysterious visitors pass letters and small packages to her brother through the mail slot though, she understands.

Liechtenstein worries about this. She remembers when her own neighbors asked her to look after their things. For a few nights, she dreams that the neighbors will break into her brother's house and attack him to steal what he is hiding. One evening though, their dinner is interrupted by the sound of people outside their door. These people are screaming for Switzerland, demanding that he come out and hand over the things he is hiding. Her brother orders her to stay where she is, before walking to the window. He stares coldly at the people on the doorstep, holding his gun so that everyone can see it. As he slowly points it in their directly, the voices die down and Liechtenstein hears them running away. As she watches Switzerland silently returning to his food, she truly knows she will never have to fear for her brother.

In the neighborhood, the fighting dies down. Switzerland reminds Liechtenstein that it is still dangerous to walk through the streets alone. She joins him when he goes shopping though, and spends a lot of time in the garden. Now that there is less chance of the neighbors breaking into their yard, Switzerland puts a lot of energy into planting new things. It is sunny and warm most of the days now, and Liechtenstein enjoys being able to spend time outside. Sometimes she helps her brother take care of the plants. Other times, she sits in the sun and reads about far-off places. She still thinks about a future where she is a great nation. It can happen. She has been helping her brother with some jobs for his boss, and now has saved up a lot of money for herself. Maybe one day, she will stand on her own. But that does not need to be right now. Now she still has her wonderful big brother to look after her, and all is well.

One night, Liechtenstein dreams of being in that cold, dark alley once again, alone and lost and frightened. She dreams of her big brother finding her and feeding her and taking her in. When she opens her eyes in the morning, the dream stays with her. Looking back on those days, she knows something that she never realized at the time. Her brother took her in even when he was starving himself.

She runs to the garden to find him. He is sitting in the sun, drinking a mug of tea. She sits next to him and he wishes her a good morning, like he always has.

When she tells him about her dream, he frowns. When she asks him why he saved her that day, taking her in when he knew didn't have enough food for himself, he looks shocked. He stammers one answer after another. That it was his duty towards her as a fellow nation. That it was a standard of kindness that people ought to show one another. That when he saw her lying there...he could not just leave her.

Liechtenstein watches as Switzerland blusters over this question, and she understands his confusion. For all the work it was to care for her, as hard as it all was, never once has it occurred to him to abandon her. In his eyes, leaving her alone in a little house, in a dark alley, has never been an option. That is why he can not give a straight answer as to why he saved her. The answer is obvious - saving his little sister was what Switzerland was going to do.

She smiles. "Big Brother," she says, "I am happy."

* * *

**For those interested, some of the historic stuff in the fic:**

**- The German Confederation was a group of nations which was run by Austria. There was a lot of fighting over whether Austria or Prussia should have leadership. This resulted in Prussia starting the Northern German Confederation, which a lot of nations in the German Confederation joined (Austria did not).**

**- Like Switzerland, Liechtenstein remained neutral during both World Wars. During World War II, people took advantage of this by hiding their valuables there. This led to Poland and Czechoslovakia taking said valuables as well as a lot of land, believing it to all be German possessions. (I did mess up the timeline for this in my fic. Apologies. ^^; )**

**- The dirty work that Switzerland had to do is pretty much the same thing, holding on to money that people hid in the country.**

**- On Russia trying to make Liechtenstein become one with him, this is referencing Liechtenstein's refusal to join the Soviet Union in real life.**


End file.
